


The Straw That Broke Her Back

by afteriwake



Series: Molly Madness Month - March 2018 [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Backrubs, Comforting Sherlock Holmes, Crying Molly Hooper, Established Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, F/M, Humming, Mentions of Sick Animals, POV Molly Hooper, Phone Calls & Telephones, Sad with a Happy Ending, Sherlock Holmes Has Feelings, Sherlock Holmes Has a Heart, Sherlock fixes things, Sleeping Molly, Spread Too Thin, Stressed Molly, The Last Straw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-25 22:39:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13844490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: Molly is spread thin, and it's not long before she breaks down. Sherlock then tries to fix everything.





	The Straw That Broke Her Back

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MagsyB](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagsyB/gifts).



> This is a cheer-up fic for **MagsyB** , who asked for a fic where " _Molly's calendar is full helping others out for the next 6 and a half months including helping Sherlock and John out. Only she keeps hearing bad news, and has no time for herself to breath, her cat has to be put down, she is going to have to work double shifts for the next two weeks, Meena is upset with her because she can't make it to her wedding, etc, etc. Only to have Sherlock and John come blazing into the lab not even bothering to ask after her, only to ask for another favor._."

She just wanted the chance to take a deep breath and relax.

But life...oh, life enjoyed running her over, plowing her to the ground and then kicking her repeatedly. But that was the way it always was, wasn’t it? For her? Life gave her one good thing and then took it and three more things away. It had been that way since she was young, it had been her entire adult life, and she supposed it would be that way until her death.

It had all started when Mary had died. She had offered to take care of Rosie whenever it was needed. She hadn’t expected to be doing it as often as she was. Nearly every other night, she was there with Rosie. At first, it was because John was grieving, and then the explosion left John helping Sherlock with Baker Street, and then…

Well, then there was the phone call and her own need to avoid Sherlock for a bit. With John and Sherlock at Baker Street, she could be with Rosie and it was safer. Better.

And while she and Sherlock slowly worked through everything, getting to the point where she knew why the call had come about and made her peace with it. She knew he had meant it, knew that even though his sister had forced his hand, he did mean it. He loved her. He wanted to pursue a relationship with her.

And then, because life gave her something wonderful, of course it had to take things back.

It started with being chosen for a special team of doctors at Barts to represent the interest of the hospital in negotiations for more funding. Molly was chosen because of her mostly stellar record with Scotland Yard, being the go-to for many detective inspectors and sergeants running their own cases. But just as it had been when she was in primary school, group projects meant she somehow got stuck doing the brunt of the work. 

Normally she wouldn’t complain, but Sherlock got a fan, reminiscent of Jim. It was decided that, in the interest of her safety, they slow down on the romantic relationship they both wanted. That, of course, was not what she wanted at all, and so she pitched in when she could between her duties at the hospital and her duties representing the hospital, trying to piece together the motives of this fan and try and keep any more gruesome killings from ending up on her slab.

And those killings...it seemed as though there was one a week, and while the detectives at the Yard were working together on a task force each individual detective insisted _their_ murder was the most important one, and Sherlock wanted her to hurry because of personal and professional reasons, so her office had become her home away from home. She spent more time on her cot there than in her own bed.

Which brought her to today. In the midst of all this, Meena had asked her to be her maid of honour in her upcoming nuptials. And she’d been excited, but with the serial murderer she was stuck with double shifts for the next two weeks and because it was a destination wedding in Bali that there was no bloody way, scheduling-wise, she could make it. She’d told Meena the day after the hen party, and now Meena wasn’t talking to her.

And all of that time away from home had meant time away from Toby, and she hadn’t seen how ill her dearest friend had become. The trip today to the veterinarian had only confirmed her worse fears that he was not going to make it through the week. And with all this...she’d never get a proper goodbye.

It was all so bloody unfair and she had no one to blame but herself for trying to be everything to everyone. She couldn’t spread herself any thinner and yet that’s what was needed. If one more person needed one more thing from her, she might snap.

She simply wanted a deep breath to settle and figure out what she could trim for the next few days to spend time with Toby before he had to be put down. And yet she couldn’t even get that, she realized as the doors to her morgue swung open and Sherlock called out her name.

That was the proverbial straw on her now humped back.

She burst into tears and didn’t move from her spot on the cot, curled in on herself with the thin blanket she used pulled over her head. She didn’t care if she made Sherlock and whoever the bloody hell he brought with him uncomfortable, she didn’t care if she had puffy red eyes and a runny nose, she didn’t care if she made a fool of herself. She just wanted to sob and sob and sob until she couldn’t sob anymore.

After a moment she heard her office door open and her name spoken softly, with care. Sherlock’s voice didn’t stop the sobbing, just quieted them. Soon she felt pressure next to her knees and a hand running up and down her back. The comforting movement felt good but no, this was partially his fault, she shouldn’t feel soothed. But she did. And he started humming, a song she didn’t recognize that was soothing and calming and she felt her eyes flutter closed.

It was dark when she lifted the blanket off from over her head. Sherlock was nowhere to be seen and she felt foolish for crying herself to sleep over something so inconsequential as her sick cat. She sat up and stretched, and only then did she see the note taped to her computer screen.

 _Molly,_ it read. _The funding has been approved, for more than you were asking for. I arranged a favour from Mycroft to pressure them into it. I owe him for it, not you. I convinced Stamford that it was best to give you a vacation. I might have lied and said it was for your personal safety. There are first class tickets to Bali at your flat and Meena is expecting you in the morning. You are still her maid of honour, she said. She didn’t want anyone else. I’ve brought Toby to Baker Street and he’ll be well taken care of, pampered and loved and we’ll do everything we can to prolong the inevitable. And Mrs. Hudson said she will have many photographs for you upon your return._

_As for the fan, I have it solved. I am sorry for pushing you away. I just wanted you to stay safe. I could not deal with your loss if you were taken from me. My sister threatened it and then made me assume you were lost, and I don’t want to live through that again. But I should have asked you if you wanted to go that route. I hope you will forgive me._

_Truly yours,_   
_Sherlock_

She felt tears prick out of the corner of her eyes again, though they were happier tears. She knew he was trying so hard to fix things. That was the way he was, and one of the reasons she loved him. He cared, and he cared about her. And it was things like this where it showed.

She picked up her mobile and then dialed Sherlock quickly, the number memorized long ago. “Sherlock? Come with me to Bali, and bring Toby with you,” she said, and when Sherlock agreed almost immediately, she relaxed and took a breath. Hopefully, things would get better now, and life would give more and take less.


End file.
